An elegant statement

An elegant statement NAC English Theatre begins its 2008 season with style Under the artistic direction of Peter Hinton, the National Arts Centre has undergone something of a beautiful little renaissance over the past few years. Productions have pushed outwards on every front, becoming more stylish and colourful, or more sombre and profound, depending on…

How does the other half love?

How does the other half love? A top-quality production christens the Gladstone The first play of any theatre’s season has to come right out of the blocks with strength, but still be committed to building an audience, and this production of Alan Ayckbourn’s How the Other Half Loves is perfect in that role. A twisting…

A freehand approach to books

A freehand approach to books Ottawa’s Writers Festival presents must-see reading Susan Olding’s Pathologies is a very aptly named book. It is an elegantly paced collection of essays that calmly dissect the recollections of her life with clinical thoroughness. The medical theme of the collection is drawn from memories of Olding’s father, a pathologist. “The…

I, Claudia evokes a rare power

I, Claudia evokes a rare power GCTC opens its season with a surprise I sat for I, Claudia assuming that I would experience nothing firm enough to crack the veneer of being an audience member. But I was wrong. When I glanced towards my companion and saw tears on her cheeks in the stage light,…

Local theatre is Playing Bare

Local theatre is Playing Bare Evolution Theatre’s latest is fascinating, complex When an author references a canonical work, they always risk its shadow rising and overwhelming their effort. But Dominic Champagne’s Playing Bare manages to weave the shade of Beckett’s Waiting for Godot into a symbiotic whole with his own narrative. Unfortunately, this means that…

The Crimson Woman

The Crimson Woman Ottawa erotica writer releases her third novel The English poet and essayist Alexander Pope wrote that “A perfect judge will read each work of wit/ with the same spirit that its author writ.” It’s a valuable tool in approaching literature to try to reconcile the form of a piece with the function…